Gratin dauphinois ( ) is a French gratin of sliced raw potatoes baked in cream, from the Dauphiné region in south-eastern France. There are many variants of the name of the dish, including pommes de terre dauphinoise, potatoes àla dauphinoise and gratin de pommes àla dauphinoise.
The first mention of the dish is from 12 July 1788. It was served with ortolans at a dinner given by Charles-Henri, Duke of Clermont-Tonnerre and lieutenant-general of the Dauphiné, for the municipal officials of the town of Gap, now in the département of Hautes-Alpes.
Gratin dauphinois is made with thinly sliced raw potatoes and cream, cooked in a buttered dish rubbed with garlic; cheese is sometimes added for the Savoyard sister dish. The potatoes are peeled and sliced to the thickness of a coin, usually with a mandoline. They are layered in a shallow earthenware or glass baking dish and cooked in a slow oven; the heat is raised for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
By tradition, the gratin dauphinois does not include cheese, which would make it more similar to a gratin savoyard (which does not include cream). Recipes given by many chefs â including Auguste Escoffier, Austin de Croze and Constance Spry â call for cheese and eggs; others such as Robert Carrier specify cheese but no egg.
The gratin dauphinois is distinguished from ordinary gratin potatoes by the use of raw rather than boiled potatoes. It is a quite different dish from pommes dauphine.